Christmas Woes
by Planet Mads
Summary: Rei reflects on his past Christams's while Kai helps to put a smile on his face. KxR


Author's Notes: I decided to get into the festive sprit, so here it is my try at a Christmas fluff. KaixRei of course.

Characters: Rei=Ray Kai=Kai Takao= Tyson Max= Max Kyouju= Kenny

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.

Christmas Woes.

            A boy sat on the roof of a hotel, his ebony hair standing out against the light layer of snow that had fallen and was now coating the roof top. His gaze was fixed on the stars, his breath coming out in clouds as he rubbed his bare hands together. Sighing he closed his eyes, hiding the molten gold colour of them from the rest of the world and smiled. He had always appreciated Christmas and believed in the time of giving but it had never been one of his favourite times of the years unlike most children his age. His mother had died of some disease this month and his father had ended up becoming sober and silent. Never caring for his only child, and once every year at this time he would go on rampages, never working, yelling all the time. One year he had walked off somewhere and had ended up being away for a month. Rei would have starved had Lee's family not taken him in until his father got back. Christmas had only really become a favourite season last year. Another soft smiled graced his lips as he thought of his last Christmas.

Mr Dickenson had arranged for them to go out to a cabin somewhere in the countryside a week or so before hand, because of all their hard work in the world championships. Rei had seen snow before but not much of it, so when it had snowed like crazy on Christmas Eve he had been incredibly happy. Takao, Max and Kyouju had spent the day teaching Rei what kinds of games to play and so on. And they had ended up having a snowball fight. Dripping wet the four had slowly made their way inside at lunch. Smiling Rei had made his way into the room him and Kai were sharing, leaving the trio to argue about what kind of cake they were going to make. He had been shoved in a pile of snow by Takao and Max and was absolutely freezing. He had quickly stepped into the shower, or as quickly as one can when you had knee length hair that needed washing. Finishing his delightfully warm shower he had changed into some of his more warmer clothes. A fluffy white jumped that Max had insisted he had gotten and a pair of black tracksuit bottoms that were fuzzy on the inside. The trio had taken Rei shopping and kitted him out in what they thought appropriate winter clothes.

"You coming down to help decorate Rei?" Max's voice had sounded through the closed door. Nodding though Max couldn't see Rei had answered as he finished braiding his hair. (It dried easier that way.) "Be right there Max." The blonde had shuffled off as Rei dug under his bed and pulled out the presents he had bought for everyone. Not bothering with any shoes Rei had padded into the kitchen and propped his bag of presents on the wall as he went to help his friends decorate the tree. It had taken a long time for Rei to persuade Kai to buy a tree and help them carry it home as they couldn't manage it by themselves. It had ended up with him and Kai carrying most of it as the others chatted, laughing happily with each other. Kai had obviously done his good deed for the day er week . . . month. Because he didn't bother to help them decorate it. He watched, arms folded across his chest, as the decorations got more and more tangled up. In the end, Rei had told the others to leave him to it and they had rushed off to eat their cake.

            He had sat on the floor for half an hour trying to unpick the knots that Takao and Max had managed to make in the lights. He growled upon reaching a tough knot, which he was unable to undo. He was rather surprised when a pair of pale hands had pulled the string of lights from his lap. He had glanced to his right to see Kai cross legged on the floor beside him. His jaw had dropped slightly then as he gazed at the boy beside him. Who had looked up ad smirked at him before untying the knot in a matter of seconds. Rolling his eyes at the bluenette he had reached for another batch of messed up decorations and started on them instead. They had sat there in a peaceful, understanding silence as they worked their way through some of the decorations.

Rei had been rather surprised when Takao had stuck his head round the door forty minutes later, before collapsing on the floor from shock after seeing Kai help out.

"What's the matter Takao?" Max had dropped to side of his best friend worriedly before looking up and smiling. The blonde had positively beamed at Kai.

"Kai you're helping!" He had grunted and gone back to tangled mess in his lap. Takao had smiled rather evilly and stood up, intending on using this to every advantage he had against his captain. Sauntering over he had opened his mouth to make a rude comment, when he had spotted the decorations at Rei and Kai's feet. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, you untangled it!" Rei smiled and thanked the gods for Takao's shirt attention span. Then regretted it instantly as Takao grabbed the tinsel and ran round room, with a stream of sparkly red and silver following him. Kai's eye had immediately narrowed as Max joined in the game running round the room with tinsel following him.

"Stop being so immature and give that back!" Takao's eyes had widened as Kai stood up, Rei winced sensing the fight brewing and had stood up as well. A smile formed on Takao's lips and he had yelled at Max to follow him before he had run round Kai and Rei. The tinsel proceeded to get tangled up and before the pair could react they had been wrapped up in it. Takao had smiled warmly at them as he tied the end up, "I think we'll leave you to finish decorating!" And with that he had raced out the room, Max and Kyouju following him. He had heard a slamming sound, indicating that the three had barricaded themselves in their bedroom.

"I hate Christmas." Kai grumbled as he twisted from side to side, trying to free himself.

"Couldn't agree with you more." Rei had replied as he had stared down at the floor, "How are we going to get out of this?"

"Can you reach the knot they tied round your side?" After a minute of frantic stretching of fingers Rei gave up.

"Nope. You?"

"I can't. Okay, twist round so your face to face with me and I'll stretch past you and untie the knot your side and you undo the knot my side, alright?" Kai asked gruffly as he started to twist round, and after a few minutes of struggling Rei found himself staring up at Kai. The pair then reached round past each other, as if they were hugging, and had slowly picked the knots. He remembered blushing as he pressed his face against the joint between Kai's collarbone and  neck. An electrifying tingling running through his body.

Rei had started when a ferocious blast of wind had thrown the door open, causing a gust of wind and snow to come inside. The result of this caused the pair to fall over just as they undid the knots. Rei groaned as he rubbed the back of his head, which he had hit against the wall when he fell. He looked up to see Kai above up him, on his knees. "Can I kill them by chance?" Rei had asked as he rubbed his head which was getting a bump on it. "Only if I'm there to help out." Kai had stated as he pulled back, tugging tinsel out of his hair. Rei smiled to himself as he looked up at his captain. "And I thought this was supposed to be the season of giving." He muttered as the bluenette stood and walked over to the door and slamming it shut. "Well I haven't got a lot to be thankful for." Kai murmured under his breath as he walked back in. Rei had smiled sadly at him at this point, understanding the feelings he was probably going through. With the world being wonderfully happy while you are sad, alone and lost in painful thoughts. He sighed mentally, _that's probably what Kai's feeling all the time. _He frowned at that point, he disliked Christmas for the unease and forced happiness he had to give out. Kai, though he never forced out any sign of being happy, was probably always like this. Something which Rei didn't think he could bear all the time. He studied his captain as he bent over and began the task of untangling the decorations once more. At that point Rei made a silent vow that he would never make Kai feel like he did at Christmas and to one day discover and help heal over the problem that caused it. Joining his captain on the floor they had started plotting ways of revenge against their friends as they sorted the decorations out.

            It was later that day, when the stars had been shinning brightly from within their dark blanket that Rei had thrown back his covers and climbed out of bed. Careful not to wake Kai the boy had crept over to the window, which he opened and climbed out of. The ground wasn't that far away, it was only a one story cabin. He needed to be higher up to see them properly. Jumping Rei latched onto the water gutter, and swung himself up onto the roof. The roof was, slanted and covered in a light layer of snow but Rei scrambled to the top where he sat and turned to stare at the stars. He had once heard from a traveller that had stopped in his village that the stars were dead people's sprits that had stayed to watch over their loved ones before they joined them in death and heaven. Of course Rei knew it wasn't true and that science had proved that the stars were big balls of gas in the sky. But it was a nice thought and Rei found it comforting in dark times. To look up and perhaps believe that his mother was looking down on him from above. He sighed, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his chin on them. He hadn't had the best life, but he knew there was worse. But that didn't stop him on occasions for feelings sad about his loss. Occasions like now . . . .

He jumped when a voice spoke to him as the owner sat down beside him. "What's so interesting about the sky that you have to get up and see at the dead of night when everyone else is sleeping Kon?" He knew Kai and the innocently sounding but rather gruff question was his way of saying, 'You better have a good reason for being out here when you could get sick.' Kai though, he would never admit out loud that he cared for his team, did. He showed it in the small things like making sure they ate properly or got enough if Takao had gotten there first. Going out and buying the medicine for them when they were sick and fighting of the reporters when they came barging in on their lives. The list could go on forever, Kai cared deep down but had a hard time showing it. Something that Rei was determined to help with.

"I like the stars." Kai turned to him, an eyebrow raised. "That's the reason that you are sitting out in snow below freezing temperature in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt?" The way he said it though meant that he wanted Rei to say no and give him a better reason so he wouldn't have to punish him.

"Um . . . yeah." Kai stared at Rei before opening his mouth, about to command his team mate back to bed. "I have my reasons for liking them Kai, it's sorta special alright?" He whispered as he turned back to the night sky. Kai closed his mouth and looked questioningly at the neko-jin. Rei didn't answer strait away, instead allowing his eyes to sweep over the sky before he spoke again. "My mother died around this time of year, very close to Christmas in fact. I've never had a happy Christmas since." He didn't know why he was telling Kai, but something inside him said that his captain wouldn't tell anyone nor make fun of him. "I suppose it's a rather childish belief that the stars are dead people. Watching over us back on earth but I've always found it comforting when I've missed her, you know? So I kinda always watch the stars on Christmas Eve." There was a pause, where the wind blew up the snow surrounding them causing Rei's teeth to chatter slightly as he went from very cold to freezing. Kai wrapped and arm round the boy's shoulders pulling him closer. Knowing that he wouldn't go back inside for a jacket. "It's a bit childish but if it makes you feel better I suppose it's not that bad." Rei heard Kai's quiet reply from where his face was resting against the bluenette's shoulder. After a few minutes of sitting there eyes riveted on the mass of shinning stars Rei broke the silence.

"You're parents are gone to Kai, didn't you ever believe in something like that?" The question was a test, the answer either telling Rei that Kai trusted him as much as he trusted Kai. The pause was tense now, both knowing that the answer would mean something special.

"I used to" Kai started, Rei broke into a smile. A great swell of happiness riding inside him as he realised that Kai was trusting him with his past something he had never done to anyone as far as he knew. " believe that one day they would come back for me. That they wouldn't have abandoned me and left me to live with my grandfather that very obviously couldn't care less about me. Mind you I suppose they didn't either, when I figured that out I stopped hoping." Rei sat up and looked at Kai's face, which was turned to the right, away from him. "Thanks Kai, it's nice to know a little bit about you and that perhaps I'm not the only one on the team that's lost a family like that."

"Don't make a habit of this" Kai growled turning back to face Rei, "I'm not going to come chasing after you every time understand? This is just a momentary lapse, probably the crappy Christmas spirit getting to me and-" He never finished the sentence as Rei's lips descended upon Kai's own. He had seen a kinder, gentler side to Kai and he hadn't intended on loosing him again. But the boy was like water, something no matter how hard you tried you couldn't keep it in your hands. He had searched desperately for a way to keep Kai more open and when his brain found none he let his heart take over. And all the small tingling sensations that he had been feeling every time Kai got close, or the way he felt like smiling when ever Kai made the slightest suggestion of a smile came rushing back. Embodying themselves in one pure heavenly feeling of soft lips against lips. Kai for his part draped one arm round Rei's waist, while the other moved to cup his cheek. Rei smiled down at the boy below him as they broke apart, his eyes sparkling as he wrapped one hand round the base of Kai's neck and pulled him upwards to meet him.

            "Thought I'd find you here." Rei was snapped out of his memories as a pair of arms wrapped round his waist. He smiled as the face nuzzled itself into his hair, "Hey Kai."

"You shouldn't be out here."

"I know but I was . . ."

"Studying the stars, I know Kitten."

"Hey" Rei declared, turning round to glare at Kai, "I'm not a Kitten Kai!"

"I know" Kai replied, a smirk spreading across his face, "You're My Kitten." Rei growled and playfully hit him, "Don't be irritating!" Kai smirked and stood up, Rei following him. "Perhaps I'm annoy but at least I'm not stupid enough to come out here hardly dressed." Rei frowned slightly as Kai turned his back and made his way over to the trapdoor. Kai was bundled up in a jacket and trousers, with his usual white scarf trailing behind him. He turned back and gave Rei a half-smile. "At least you're feet aren't going to freeze off like they nearly did last time." Rei rolled his eyes at Kai as he ran to catch up with him, "You're only saying that 'cos you got me the slippers." Kai smirked and continued to walk, indeed last year Rei had opened his present from Kai to see a pair of white cat slippers staring up at him. He asked Kai why he had got them and his reply was that he was fed up with hearing him yelp every time Takao or Max dropped stuff on his feet, seeing as he went round with nothing on most of the time. He smiled down at the slippers as he caught up with the bluenette, who had made his way down the ladder and was opening the door to their hotel room. Dashing inside after him the pair quietly made their way to their room, careful not to disturb the other three. Who happened to be light sleepers on Christmas day only. He glanced at the clock beside his bed, which flashed 12:01 in green. Smiling he curled up under the covers and reached over for Kai, wrapping an arm round the boy's waist. Who in turn turned to look at him, "Merry Christmas Kai-Kun." And with that he planted a kiss on his koi's pink lips, Kai smiled at him once before burying his face in Rei's chest. Rei smiled sleepily as he inhaled Kai's shampoo from where his nose was buried in his the boy's hair.

 All he needed to sooth his Christmas woes was him . . .

**There was my little festive thing, I hope you liked it.~MM__**


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